The present invention relates generally to paper transport mechanisms, and more particularly to a card reader and validator adapted for use in a wagering terminal or the like.
Paper card readers are useful in a variety of applications. One such application is to read cards which have been marked to place bets at a wagering facility such as a racetrack. Cashier operated and self-service lottery terminals are also available where cards are marked to designate a set of numbers for the purchase of a lottery ticket. The marks are made by darkening one or more designated areas on the card with a pencil. The card reader optically detects the darkened areas and interprets the pattern in accordance with well known techniques. Examples of prior art card reader/validators can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,626,672 to Sapitowicz et al, entitled "Document Processing Apparatus" and 4,322,612 to Lange, entitled "Self-Service Wagering System".
Card readers are used in wagering applications both for the placing of bets and for reading paper tickets after a race in order to automate the payoff of winning bets. In the latter mode of operation, a winning patron inserts his ticket into the card reader, which optically reads markings such as a bar code on the ticket and forwards data indicative of the marking to a host computer for verification and calculation of the payoff. The host computer then sends a signal back to the wagering terminal authorizing payment on the winning ticket.
A card reader can also include a "validator" that prints an indicia on a ticket to indicate that the ticket has already been redeemed. The validator can imprint a designation such as "paid" or 10 "canceled" on a winning ticket, or can obliterate a bar code or the like necessary to the processing of the ticket.
The provision of validation in card readers has presented various problems. In some prior art devices, ink propagates from the validator portion of the card reader to the optical portions that read marks from a card. This interferes with the proper operation of the card reader. Stray ink can also offset onto a card used for placing a bet. When this happens, errors can result if the ink is present in the area of the card that is marked to place the bet. Stray ink can also contaminate mechanical components, reducing the reliability of the card reader mechanism.
Card readers are also subject to paper jams. In many prior art systems, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,672 cited above, the paper card or ticket is inserted into a first slot and travels in a semicircular path for exit from a second slot. User access to the paper path is restricted, and jams are difficult to clear, particularly when they occur in the semicircular area between the entry and exit slots. A paper jam can result in substantial down time for a terminal, resulting in loss of revenues to a wagering facility as well as customer frustration.
It would be advantageous to provide a card reader/validator for a lottery or wagering terminal that overcomes the above-noted problems of prior art devices. Such a card reader/validator should function in both automated, self-service terminals as well as in terminals operated by tellers employed by the lottery or wagering facility.
It would be particularly advantageous to provide a card reader/validator that is resistant to paper jams, and is easily cleared should a jam occur. In order to achieve this result, it would be advantageous to provide the card reader/validator with a straight paper path that is as short as possible. It would be further advantageous to provide components of the paper drive mechanism that can be pivoted away from or completely removed from the paper path to facilitate the removal of any paper jams that occur.
It would be further advantageous to provide a card reader/validator that is actuated to transport a paper card or ticket by the insertion of the card or ticket into a slot. It would be still further advantageous to provide for the bidirectional transport of a paper card or ticket inserted into the slot, for reading, verifying, and/or validating the card or ticket.
The present invention provides a jam resistant card reader/validator enjoying the above-mentioned advantages.